Welch & Forbes LLC Lowers Stake in Danaher Corporation $DHR

Welch & Forbes LLC lowered its position in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 618,995 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,094 shares during the quarter. Danaher accounts for about 1.7% of Welch & Forbes LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Welch & Forbes LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Danaher worth $141,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Danaher during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Danaher during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Danaher during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Danaher during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the company’s stock.

Danaher Stock Performance

NYSE:DHR opened at $182.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Danaher Corporation has a 12-month low of $160.93 and a 12-month high of $242.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $182.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.81.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The business had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Danaher Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Danaher’s payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DHR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Danaher from $251.00 to $249.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays cut their target price on Danaher from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Danaher from $240.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus cut their target price on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

About Danaher

Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) is a global science and technology company that designs, manufactures and markets products and services for the life sciences, diagnostics, and environmental and applied markets. The company organizes its operations into business segments focused on Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental & Applied Solutions, supplying instruments, reagents, software and related services that support research, clinical testing, biopharmaceutical development, and industrial and environmental monitoring.

Products and services in Danaher’s portfolio include analytical and diagnostic instruments, laboratory consumables and reagents, digital and software solutions for workflow and data management, field and industrial monitoring equipment, and service and maintenance programs.